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BMW i8 in Detail: LifeDrive

Before we watch this week’s episode of BMW i8 in Detail, let’s address something that must be on your mind: The British actors that ask the questions at the beginning of each video. They’re super silly. They have them doing random things while they ask oddly specific questions, and then the last shot is always a hilariously forced look of confusion. All we want to say is that we’ve noticed, too. As far as narrative devices go, it works, but only so well.

With that out of the way, let’s look at the LifeDrive architecture.

For a car that has changed just about everything you know about automobiles, it shouldn’t surprise you that the i8 even changes the way they fit together. LifeDrive is split into two modules, Life and Drive. The aluminum Drive module supports the i8’s hybrid powertrain, with the electric motor in the front, the engine in the rear, and the battery cell arranged laterally along the “energy tunnel.”

The Life module is made of high strength carbon fiber. It comprises the cockpit and everything else that ties the whole package together. The passenger compartment is ultra-light, but ultra-safe as well, and the weight it saves offsets the heavier hybrid components. The result of the LifeDrive system is an even front-to-back weight distribution and a low center of gravity, the perfect setup for a sports car.